Health IT, Hospitals, Startups

AT&T CMIO on why remote monitoring is mod twist on house calls (video)

The chief medical information officer for AT&T’s health IT arm still maintains a rheumatology practice, […]

The chief medical information officer for AT&T’s health IT arm still maintains a rheumatology practice, even after one year on the job. It may be on a part-time basis, but still. Having one foot in the doctor’s office and the other in health technology is a useful way for Dr. Geeta Nayyar to keep the needs of patients and providers firmly in mind.

“The biggest motivator for me as a provider was I felt there were so many problems that could be fixed, but there was no clinical voice,” Nayyar told MedCity News in an interview at the mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C. this week. “From a satisfaction standpoint, I’m able to help AT&T make an impact on patient care in a tangible way.”

Having a CMIO is a good way for companies to get more street cred in the health IT and mobile health spaces, and to spark conversations with providers and other potential healthcare partners that might not otherwise happen.

One of the technology trends Nayyar is particularly jazzed about is remote-patient monitoring. She views it as a new twist on what seems like an all-but-forgotten tradition these days: house calls. Although she acknowledges seeing a physician in the flesh has value, remote-patient monitoring through telehealth and other computer interactions can add a novel perspective to physician-patient interactions.

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